Reading Lester's comments from yesterday, everything sounds just peachy keen between him and the Sox.

But reading between the lines it sure sounds like he's headed for free agency. So the nightmare scenario of losing him for a draft pick is a very real possibility.

I think your 160-180 million is a bit high but who knows? Scherzer turned down 144 million. It's nutty out there and Jon is putting together a career season in his walk year, on top of a brilliant postseason.

“Like I said before, I’ve expressed it to them, this is where I want to stay. Regardless of whether we do it tomorrow or we wait until the end of the season, this is where I want to be. Hopefully when we get to the end of the season we can figure something out and get it done.” Of course, as Lester noted, his desire may remain the same, but if he reaches free agency, the club will “just have more competition.”

I just hope he is not stringing them along with the idea that they can keep him, only to bolt this winter.

This line worries me -- "The year ends tomorrow and I go to free agency, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to be a Red Sox. That doesn’t change anything. Now they just have more competition.” Well, yeah...and when it comes to the open market, someone will offer more. He may "want to be a Red Sox," but the days of the "hometown discount" seem to have passed.

They need to put their best foot forward and try to get something done between now and the deadline. If he gets to free agency, I have a bad feeling he's already as good as gone.

I just hope he is not stringing them along with the idea that they can keep him, only to bolt this winter.

This line worries me -- "The year ends tomorrow and I go to free agency, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to be a Red Sox. That doesn’t change anything. Now they just have more competition.” Well, yeah...and when it comes to the open market, someone will offer more. The days of the "hometown discount" seem to have passed.

They need to put their best foot forward and try to get something done between now and the deadline. If he gets to free agency, I have a bad feeling he's already as good as gone.

I think that the message most players try to convey when they're in Lester's position.

All he's saying is if he hits FA, it will be harder to get a deal done. That doesn't mean impossible. He'll still probably offer a hometown discount, but the baseline for the discount will be off the highest bid, rather than a guesstimate of "market value."

Everything he's saying is simple factual description of how negotiations and markets work, except one thing: he's saying he wants to stay in Boston, affirming that he will go the extra mile to make it work out here. Nothing he says contradicts that. It's just a fact that if he hits FA there will be other bidders; that's not a threat. He even says that having other bidders doesn't change his desire to be in Boston.

Hopefully you're right. I just feel like this is too important to the team's future to let it get to that point if it can possibly be avoided.

"We've got two ways we can do this - the easy way and the hard way. The easy way is for us to sit down together and you make me some kind of a reasonable offer that meets my needs and I'll sign it. The hard way is for you to continue to d--k around until I reach free agency;. That's when I'm going to start looking at other team's offers and they may start to look pretty good to me. You choose".

Having the right to do something doesn't make it the right thing to do.

"We've got two ways we can do this - the easy way and the hard way. The easy way is for us to sit down together and you make me some kind of a reasonable offer that meets my needs and I'll sign it. The hard way is for you to continue to d--k around until I reach free agency;. That's when I'm going to start looking at other team's offers and they may start to look pretty good to me. You choose".

Having the right to do something doesn't make it the right thing to do.

And I have never posted here under any other names.

Not quite. He continues to say he doesn't want to negotiate during the playing season:

Though the lefty says that “the conversation had picked up” when the Red Sox reached out most recently, he noted that he “never received a [new] offer.” Boston was, however, at least willing to move its offer into the nine-figure range, Heyman reports. Now, team sources tell Heyman that the club understands and intends to honor Lester’s preference to table discussions for the time being.

But there's still the window after the regular season and before the end of the World Series when they have an exclusive negotiating window.

You see, there's a conflict there - mixed messages.

On the one hand he's saying that he doesn't want to negotiate during the regular season.

On the other hand he's implying that there was progress made when the Sox reached out, but there was no new offer.

That tells me that if he's willing to be engaged in a short negotiations but if it becomes protracted he'll wait until the end of the year.

The sooner they sign this guy the better it's going to be. 1) It removes all this angst (on both parties) about where he'll be next year, and 2) the cost will be less now than it will be later.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND the reluctance on the Sox part to get this done. It's a straight-up no-brainer.

I'll second what Moonslav says, offer him $100 mil. over 5 yrs, take it or leave it. Yes I'm boring but that is my post here.

100 mil over five years? Lol yea ok....this board consistently undervalues the market, particularly with their own players. Paps wasnt going to get that money, remember? Ells wasnt "worth" it and would not get those huge offers....now Lester....youre dreaming if you think he's signing for less than 150 million for 6 years....do you like being the KC Royals? then pay your stars what they are worth...

On the one hand he's saying that he doesn't want to negotiate during the regular season.

On the other hand he's implying that there was progress made when the Sox reached out, but there was no new offer.

That tells me that if he's willing to be engaged in a short negotiations but if it becomes protracted he'll wait until the end of the year.

The sooner they sign this guy the better it's going to be. 1) It removes all this angst (on both parties) about where he'll be next year, and 2) the cost will be less now than it will be later.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND the reluctance on the Sox part to get this done. It's a straight-up no-brainer.

Where do you find evidence that the Sox are "reluctant to get this done"? It seems to me that Lester's saying he wants to wait and the Sox are respecting that.

Apart from that, I agree with you the sooner the better. I also don't want the Sox to play hardball with Lester (I don't think they will). I think this will be the FO's first priority after the regular season, and will get done in October before he reaches FA.

About two weeks ago Lester said that he's be willing to listen to an offer if it led to a short negotiations, implying that if it's going to be a long negotiations it will have to wait until the off-season. Which BTW could allow other teams to get into the bidding.

Were I in the FO's seat I'd have been tripping all over myself to get that offer out there but instead I've seen no sign of such an offer. I see that as reluctance to get it done.

Lester gave them a chance in ST to get it done and they shot themselves in the foot by insulting him with that 4/$70 offer. Now Lester has once again said he'll listen to any offer that leads to a quick settlement... and there still hasn't been that offer. That's bullet #2 in the foot. By the time the FO gets done shooting they'll have crippled the team. Dumb. Just plain dumb.

Reading Lester's comments from yesterday, everything sounds just peachy keen between him and the Sox.

But reading between the lines it sure sounds like he's headed for free agency. So the nightmare scenario of losing him for a draft pick is a very real possibility.

I think your 160-180 million is a bit high but who knows? Scherzer turned down 144 million. It's nutty out there and Jon is putting together a career season in his walk year, on top of a brilliant postseason.

This will go down as one of the worst blunders in Sox history, which is a pretty tough list to make. Lester is gone --the Red Sox only choice is to trade him for prospects now or make a face-saving bid 50% higher than their insulting opening offer--and lose him to another team anyway. Then they'd have to overpay Lackey to keep him here. I have no inside knowledge, but I'm convinced Lester is done with these people.

While Yankee fans such as yourself would love to believe that "Lester is gone", that judgement is premature at best and more than likely untrue. I suppose that some Yankee fans would feel better if Lester left the Red Sox to compensate for their loss of Sabathia and Tanaka, but IMO a Lester deal is going to happen sooner rather than later. Lester wants to stay and the Red Sox want him. Its going to happen.

I like Lester and hope he remains w/ the Sox but 160-180 mill for a 30 yr old pitcher is insanity. Lester is a solid pitcher but the reality is he's never won a Cy Young, won 20 gms, led the league in anything. Again I hope he stays but I think he's a goner at seasons end.

Reading Lester's comments from yesterday, everything sounds just peachy keen between him and the Sox.

But reading between the lines it sure sounds like he's headed for free agency. So the nightmare scenario of losing him for a draft pick is a very real possibility.

I think your 160-180 million is a bit high but who knows? Scherzer turned down 144 million. It's nutty out there and Jon is putting together a career season in his walk year, on top of a brilliant postseason.

This will go down as one of the worst blunders in Sox history, which is a pretty tough list to make. Lester is gone --the Red Sox only choice is to trade him for prospects now or make a face-saving bid 50% higher than their insulting opening offer--and lose him to another team anyway. Then they'd have to overpay Lackey to keep him here. I have no inside knowledge, but I'm convinced Lester is done with these people.

While Yankee fans such as yourself would love to believe that "Lester is gone", that judgement is premature at best and more than likely untrue. I suppose that some Yankee fans would feel better if Lester left the Red Sox to compensate for their loss of Sabathia and Tanaka, but IMO a Lester deal is going to happen sooner rather than later. Lester wants to stay and the Red Sox want him. Its going to happen.

WE ARE ALL JUST POPPYSEEDS IN THE BAKERY OF LIFE

Dennis and Callahan@DandCShow · 1h

. @nickcafardo just told the show that he expects Jon Lester to get more than 6 years and 144 million on the open market.

12 or 13 starts left, I see no reason why he would want to sign now. Next decision, Draft pick or Trade. Sox should move Peavy fast, let Mujica go, get some kids up here, see what they got. Do it now, don't lollygag on this too.

I think the Ownership and Ben were sleeping this whole off-season, not seeing how the market was going for Starters. The Tanaka signing was the final clue, and they still did not see it. Wasn't Scherzer offered 144 Million and he turned it down. The writing was on the wall.